From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Proscribe \Pro*scribe"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Proscribed}; p.
pr. & vb. n. {Proscribing}.] [L. proscribere, proscriptum, to
write before, to publish, proscribe; pro before + scribere to
write. See {Scribe}. The sense of this word originated in the
Roman practice of writing the names of persons doomed to
death, and posting the list in public.]
1. To doom to destruction; to put out of the protection of
law; to outlaw; to exile; as, Sylla and Marius proscribed
each other's adherents.
[1913 Webster]
Robert Vere, Earl of Oxford, . . . was banished the
realm, and proscribed. --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
2. To denounce and condemn; to interdict; to prohibit; as,
the Puritans proscribed theaters.
[1913 Webster]
The Arian doctrines were proscribed and
anathematized in the famous Council of Nice.
--Waterland.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
proscribe
v 1: command against; "I forbid you to call me late at night";
"Mother vetoed the trip to the chocolate store"; "Dad nixed
our plans" [syn: {forbid}, {prohibit}, {interdict},
{proscribe}, {veto}, {disallow}, {nix}] [ant: {allow},
{countenance}, {let}, {permit}]
|